A Game
by Sunpops1
Summary: Through the years after losing his family Naruto gets hurt on both physical and mental levels making him vulnerable to more despair to fill him. Can someone save him from his misery and patch him back up before it's too late? Sasunaru, ItaKyuu(not Kuruma), and others. No lemons .but there will be mentions of drugs, gangs and that kind of thing as well as self-harm later on.
1. The Accident

A game, that's all life was to him, life was putty in his hands something he formed all by himself and no one else, no one else should help him, well more like no one else would help him though he wanted it, for he was the outcast the loser the troublemaking demon child of whom no one should even get close to for if you did you would die. He was Uzumaki Naruto.

It was as if life should be a game for him really and that's just how the game wanted him to think, you control the game by making your own choices but it's still out of reach, because the game knew how you would move. The game knows all, you think that's not true take a look at his fucked up life.

And you can't change the rules of the game, yes the rules are definite they were the tall and strong steel gate that kept you trapped in the game. They were what controlled you, if you did something against the rules you were immediately kicked out of the game _permanently._

His mom and dad must've broken a rule, because they'd been kicked out of the game, In a horrible way too. Not even his pet fox Kyuubi was saved in fact the only reason he was is because his brother had pushed him out at the last second.

He heard they had suffered greatly, well no he never heard anyone say that in fact they told him it was quick and painless it was only that of the grim face the doctors wore along with their bright white and blue scrubs which had told him so.

And his life wasn't just a game but a story, humans can be so disgusting like that, you see you do attract more flies with honey. His whole life was honey to the fleas people call reporters, newscasters as well. Because who didn't love reading about the oh so poor kid whose mother owned a country famous restaurant, and father of whom was the mayor along with his basketball star brother all die in a horrible accident.

The only answers he gave were secretly pleads to tell them their deaths weren't an accident, they were killed by the game of life. No one believed him of course they just thought he was a child in shock from having seen his parents die in front of him.

They all gave lies when talking about the _accident _as well, saying the poor child is in a state of depression they would say he's grieving for his family's loss. Then they would start to talk about something else, more lies no doubt.

He hated it that he was advertised like a neon sign he hated that people thought his life was only a story about a child who lost his famous family at the tender age of seven. But his life was more than that, he had memories of so many things trips to Disneyland, learning to read, exploring new things.

He remembered all of the things he had done, the happy moments with family the sad moments all alone and the angry moments with his best friend. He hated that nothing would ever be the same, people would view him with hate or pity.

Oh yes that's another thing he hates, the controversy, where people think he had done it, that he had killed his own parents. Those people believed he was insane, that he had something wrong with him, that he probably had voices in his head.

But yes he did, those lingers of whispers they would let out when he passed in his full bandaged glory. He would hear them call him a demon child to their friends when they thought he couldn't hear, but he did in fact it's harder that they'd whisper it behind his back. It only made it so much louder.

When they whispered it was louder than any scream, howl, or screech he'd ever heard. It would constantly ring through his ears, the names they called, all the utterly horrible names they would whisper and unwittingly yell at him.

After a while he learned just how they'd died, smoke inhalation. Painfully slow smoke inhalation, it had taken them 10 minutes before all they had was smoke in their lungs, afterwards they had died slowly choking for air grasping at doors to get out, and it was anything but slow.

Plus the amount of burns they had showed just how much pain they were in before it had happened, a lot, they had chipped fingernails from they scratched at the floor.

He emptied his stomach when he'd seen just how it happened, seeing their mangled corpses staring lifelessly ahead with empty eyes that used to be so full of life only to have them drained of it. The doctors rushed in when they heard the bloodcurdling cry of terror and hacking.

They of course couldn't bring themselves to reprimand the boy for sneaking into the hospital an into the room, seeing his tearstained face and seeing the vomit dripping from his mouth they could only sit there and watch as the child was in a state of terror, shock, and despair all at once.

He couldn't sleep that night, every time he even closed his eyes he would see his brother desperately clutching onto a picture of them at the start of the trip. Naruto was smiling like a ray of the sun in the picture sitting on his brother's shoulders and making sure his chubby hands were holding onto his mom and dad's by bending down.

At the base was along with Kyuubi in bold writing, Best summer trip ever.

And it truly had been till the fire.

Funny how one little spark could cause an RV gas tank to explode and kill three people while leaving a child mentally scarred for life, how one little spark could kill his everything, could kill his light, even though the spark came from a light, it's sort of ironic though right.

Naruto at the age of seven lost his father Minato, mother Kushina, Brother Kuruma, and Pet Kyuubi in a terrible RV fire would live most of his life as an outcast till he met him…


	2. The Orphange

It was not a friendly place, no not with its cheap wallpaper covered in mold, no not even with its many occupants of children. It was actually quite a miserable and gloomy place, despite supposedly being a place that brings happiness to all families sterile or not all across the country.

The poor unsuspecting people who wanted a child from there would only come to see a depressing place holding very few actual children but more teens then you should ever see in an orphanage, the teens who lived there reflected on the environment like mirrors all sad and depressed as they were

The only person under 10 was 8 years old and still a little older than what most people looked for, and was ignored just as much as the others. This poor child seemed to be the worst out of all the children, in terms of personality that is, always alone he distanced himself from everyone.

He was a weak child refusing to eat more than a couple bites and never exercising and it showed seeing as it really took its toll on his nutrition intake and physical state. Usually you would find him studying in the shadows with a large book and shrouded in darkness.

He never did like crowds even before the accident happened he had always liked the quite serene sort of places, he was an energetic child at first with so many friends and knew everyone but he still hated crowds even then, it was just far worse now.

He, or if you were to call him by his proper name, Naruto Kitsune Uzumaki Namikaze, adopting both names at birth he always made long introductions because of it, of course that was when he used to talk to people.

It doesn't mean he stopped talking or was a mute, just barely talked saying few words that carried the burdens of the rest of the sentence. He was far too serious for someone his age, with his hardened blue eyes that used to be bright like the sky now hardened and looked more like a dull grey, sickly pale skin which was once a healthy caramel tan, and his hair that once bounced up in all directions shining like a beacon of sun on the darkest of days limp and more like a scratchy hay.

He had been in the orphanage around a year after his family passed away in the explosion, when he first came here, after the long period of time where he was passed along lawyers all fighting about where he should go, he had been approached by the others with open arms all fussing about how he was so cute. But after a while they learned to stay away from him with his crazy mumbling about how to play the game.

Why you might ask, why was he always studying? Well the answer was simple, first off he may've been considered a bright kid but after all that happened he missed almost a full year of school and so to catch up he studied hard every day, secondly he could ignore people with the premise of reading and working.

It was still a week before he would go to school again, Fourth Grade he would be turning 9 in a couple months, it was funny that it was only a little bit ago he noticed with the calamity he had missed his own birthday, he didn't really think of it as a day of celebration anymore, only as another day he had to live without his family, his oh so wonderful loving family.

He flipped another page, the mindless text not really registering in his mind as he'd already read through all the large books at least twice. He just really didn't like dealing with the others asking him to play with him outside in the great weather, all of them trying to get out of the gross building. Looking up for a moment he surveyed the room and noticed the energetic ones were out at the moment.

It was strange how he the youngest one there was the worst out of all of them, what a crack up right. Getting up out of his perch in the corner he didn't care to stretch just started shuffling on the carpet with his bare feet towards the small library which was really just a couple of shelves stuffed messily with books situated in the corner opposite of him, maybe he could find some entertainment with one of the books he hadn't read, like a murder mystery or something.

Too bad his life wasn't a murder mystery because then maybe a great detective could've met them and saved them by noticing what they didn't the fact that the overhead light had a crack in it and was practically a ticking time bomb ready to be set off and kill them, but there wasn't and the bomb had gone off.

He knew that it wasn't normal for someone his age to have these thoughts, especially the suicidal ones he'd been having lately, one time he actually had a knife in his hand right next to his heart, but could never bring himself to do it, he was too scared, not of death but facing his family in the next world. Plus in a way he still carried bravery by knowing that his family wouldn't want him to die, especially his brother who tried his hardest to get him out of there despite knowing that it would cost him his own life.

Reaching the makeshift library he started to shift through the covers, Nancy Drew, Sherlock Holmes, Kogoro Akechi* nothing really caught his attention and noticed he'd already read most of the other books, in all of his time ignoring the others. Sighing he was about to sit back up until he noticed a pile of papers stuffed in with the other books.

It was fairly old paper yellow and frail with age. It had large black print across the front along with black and white pictures; he noticed what it was immediately, newspaper, and old ones at that. They were all from around the late 1900's it was obvious enough because it had dates on each one but he noticed the pictures had stuff that wasn't made till after World War II.

Grabbing one he brought it up to his face and decided to nestle into the crook between the two shelves that stood there. How had he not noticed them before, the newspapers, they were actually interesting talking about things that had actually happened and weren't sugar coated they were actually telling the truth for once, not like newscasters or journalists did nowadays.

He read through article after article particularly liking one done by a younger journalist that had shown up in the later articles, it was done by Jirayia Sannin, he thought the name suited him** seeing as he talked about everything with gusto and a booming personality that showed even through the paper.

It seemed as if he found something that he could appreciate and actually smile about, finally.

So what did you think about this chapter, I decided naru-chan really needed something to be happy about so I decided on the newspaper idea, it doesn't mean it's a happy stage of the story yet though, no no no no he still has to go through a lot to get the happy ending. It's not as if I want to torture him but it is an angst fic.

Please review, no hate but constructive criticism is accepted with open arms. Oh and as a side note, I don't have a beta so I may have some mistakes in grammar or spelling.


	3. The School

He struggled for breath and to be released from the vice grip on his collar his feet dangling in the air kicking frantically.

His bullies let out an amused laugh. "Look boys he thinks he can get free maybe we should teach him just how this world works." He stood up from his kneeled position pulling Naruto up with him.

He sneered and a couple of the groupies from behind him laughed.

He felt the hands around his collar tighten choking him with the tightening around his neck their knuckles pressing into his neck squeezing his windpipe.

He looked down to try and avoid facing his older bullies.

Wrong choice, it showed him just how high he was, seriously why would they build a playground set so tall, seriously kids played on these playgrounds why would you make such a terrible safety hazard, but right now he wasn't going to run and complain to the teachers, he was having the advantage of their strange height used against him.

As he was held up above the ground on them.

Feeling the fingers tighten again he was brought back to reality and turned to face his torturers fear clearly written all over his face. It was a problem he was never able to take care of, emotions, he could wear a poker face in general but when something happened, his face always told the true story.

He grabbed the hands around his neck pulling as hard as he could, trying to loosen the chokehold as he faced the bullies once again still struggling as much as he could.

There were three of them besides the one holding him, all older, bigger, and more cruel than him. Why was it that fate played him the worst cards, couldn't he just fit in for once.

It was true that no matter what happened he never fit in, not after his parents died. When he went to the school for the first time he immediately labeled weird with his dark clothes, gloomy appearance and strange whisker marks.

It wasn't as if they knew what happened, it wasn't as if he knew them.

But it still hurt.

_It hurt so much._

_That__ he__ wasn't normal._

He tried his hardest to fit in, when he first came he tried to approach a few of his classmates at lunch, only for them to completely move seats and ignore him.

After that he had tried his hardest to show him he was smart by answering all the questions, raising his hand to be picked even if he wasn't sure and getting perfect grades, but then to them he was a smart aleck trying too hard.

It never mattered to them who the person was on the inside, to them they were only who they thought they were, separated into their own groups.

But he was lower than the low, the bottom of the food chain, meaning he was free game for everyone no one would even try to stop the bullies who pushed him around.

Sometimes even the teachers, but this is an elementary school for Pete's sake is the message you want for your kids, at ten years old, that everyone is just born the way they are.

But that's not true.

He was born happy…

but now he's not.

He was born with a family and he always had friends with him, but not now now only a few people like Jiji or old man Ichiraku cared

He felt his bullies shake him roughly bringing him back to reality, no it wasn't true, but he was weak what could he do about it.

Nothing.

And that was the ugly truth.

He felt his body be yanked forward and…

Punch.

Punch.

Punch.

Punch.

The teenager raised their fist back once again and

Pu… but it never came and he saw the other bully stop him. "Hidan if we do any more we won't be able to pass it off as an accident." He looked away as if being caught stealing from the cookie jar. "Fine, fine Kakuzu." Before his gaze turned back to Naruto a nasty smirk on his lips and a taunting look in his eyes, before

Letting him go

Letting him drop to the ground

Screaming with his newfound breath he whistled through the air seconds turning into hours.

_Why_

_Why am I always the awkward one in the corner?_

_Why does destiny…?_

_No why does life hate me so much?_

_Why am I… why am I always picked to be fate's plaything. _

He croaked it out just before he was going to hit the ground. "Why" and the word repeated like mantra throughout his head. He readied himself to hit the ground,

But it never came.

And he felt himself fall into warm comforting arms, which curled around him and pulled him into a strong chest he noticed that it smelled like cinnamon and his eyes widened in recognition looking up to meet dark spice colored eyes and choked out his throat still sore from where they held him

"I-Iru-I-Iruka-sen-sensei." The said man smiled down sadly and concerned at the young boy before nodding. "Hey Naruto, you think you can walk to the nurse's office." Losing the act after a second his face suddenly contorted angrily and looked up at the middle school students who had started to sneak off seeing that they were caught.

Iruka sensei was one of the people who cared for him, despite not liking his brother from when he had schooled him, and what his _'choices' _had been at one point" You four get back here right now." He set Naruto down to go and chasee after them as they started to run knowing that they'd be caught if they didn't, leaving him all alone.

Or what seemed to be all alone, except for the small lavender eyed girl hiding behind the slide who came out once she saw that no one was there to hurt her anymore, or would get caught in an unwanted confrontation.

"Ano, a-are y-y-yo-you o-ok-o-okay." He had forgotten about her, the reason why those particular bullies had started to beat him up,

it was because he had tried to stand up for her.

He had seen them try to hurt the young girl and despite his usual morals of not helping anyone and staying out he just couldn't help but try to intervene grabbing the older kid's legs and trying to pull them away.

Afterwards he had tried to run only to be caught and started to get the crap beat out of him.

He looked at the girl taking in her features.

Short blue hair, two long bangs framing her face, and short, with the biggest eyes he had ever seen.

But they sort of fit her with their pupiless weirdness, a pale lavender hue was applied to the otherwise white eyes. He would've thought she was blind, if it wasn't obvious that with her reaction that she could see his injuries, and who was blind and could hide so well seeing as he never saw go inside but rather she went into the jungle gym and practically disappeared.

Or she was blind and just had that little of a presence.

"I'm fine so just leave." He didn't care if he was rude, even if she tried to help him seeming so innocent and then found out who he was he'd have hell to pay. She seemed to be surprised at the response, what was he thinking, with those injuries he should really go to the hospital.

"b-but you're r-r-really h-hu-hurt." He turned his head away from her knowing that if she had tried to help him anyway even if she didn't notice who he was the whole time she'd be labeled as a wierdo just for talking to him.

He was the lowest of the low after all and in their childish, immature minds they thought that only people similar to each other hung out together.

"Just leave." He spoke firm.

"B-but-" he turned over to her still laying on the ground. "Just leave, you don't want to help me, and you shouldn't so just _leave."_ He knew that he was being rude but she was really starting to peeve him, he was trying to help her, she could find friends and he would spend his days at the library like he always did.

Away from people.

And nothing would change.

It would stay the same, always the same, she'd forget about him and go on with her life, just like he wanted her to.

No such luck

"Hey what are you doing, let go of me!" She had come up to him and started dragging him away, honestly she had no idea what she was doing or where her sudden confidence came from, but she knew that she couldn't just leave him there

Who knew that was when a beautiful friendship would start

* * *

Sitting up in the white bed at the small school nurse's office he looked around bored a frown etched into his face.

_Why didn't she just leave me?_

He thought he might ask her the question but apparently she wasn't there according to the nurse who came over.

"So what happened, your friend wouldn't tell me she seemed really surprised when I came over and just ran away. Was it bullies again?" he looked away from the nurse, Natsuhi*, knowing that she already knew the answer.

She sighed and looked at him worriedly "Naruto, you shouldn't just let them beat you up you need to run away, you need to tell us who it is, you might think that it's not true but we do care about you."

He scoffed and turned to her angrily. "You only say that because that's what you've been paid to say, you don't really care about anyone but yourselves, that's what everyone's like they don't care about others, they think that they're the most important thing in the world! People act like they know everything but they don't know that when they grow up whoever was the coolest in fifth grade doesn't matter! Reality will bite them in the ass." She gasped at his outburst. "Watch yourself young man do not curse and they are all trying their hardest to live their lives don't judge people."

"That's what they need to know." He got up out of the bed in a flurry not caring about what happened and ran, just ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.

Ran and ran and ran even when he ran a mile and the sun was setting he ran and ran. He didn't care about his chest constricting, he didn't care that when he reached the edge of town that the sky was pitch black, he didn't care.

He just didn't care, as he ran into the forest pushing through the brambles trees and vines.

He just didn't care.

Didn't care.

He didn't care at all.

He just didn't.

It was only when he reached the edge of town he fell to his knees chest constricting and lungs desperately grasping for air, mouth gaping open and closed like a fish, it was only then that he started to think, about why, about all the people around him, about everything.

About his past.

He always came here when he needed to think he would sit next to the old sign and curl up next to it he would always keep his area nice and neat, with boxes expertly hidden behind the trees holding books upon books, a radio, and everything he would ever need.

He loved the area, he did like living out in the small town settled into the country, separated from the world and situated all by itself in the middle of nowhere with a small population. He did like living there, he really did.

But he'd do anything to get away from the painful memories.

He'd do anything to get away from the life he was living, the future that he knew would only be horrible. But he was really stuck here; he knew didn't want to lose the memories deep down, and knew that they were the only things that really kept him attached to this world, keeping him from committing suicide.

Maybe if he just got hit by a car and got amnesia then everything would be okay.

But he knew it wouldn't.

He was always really indecisive like that and couldn't choose one over the other.

Like when…

"_Naruto?! Naruto?! Oi, Naruto where are you?!"_

"_Naruto, look I'm sorry." He pulled himself farther under the bed, away from him away from the person he thought he could trust._

"_Naruto look, it won't happen again, you know that I would never try to hurt you on purpose, I made the wrong choice having them as my friends. I never thought that they would try anything like that, they promised me that it wouldn't affect anyone."_

_He heard more shuffling throughout the hallway till the door was slammed open to reveal his brother panting and soaked to the bone with rain covering the white powder that completely covered his form before._

"_Look I'm sorry!"_

_He knew that he was telling the truth, but he didn't know if he should go out or not, he was very scared and didn't know what really happened, just that it was really scary and he didn't want it to happen again, who was that man with his brother._

_And he just wanted the candy his brother was selling. Why did they all freak out like that?_

If only at that time he knew that his brother had been black-mailed; after all who would've thought that the mayor's son was forced into becoming a drug dealer? Maybe if he had told someone that he found out his brother hadn't been meeting his friends to his parents.

Then maybe, maybe…

But that was over and dealt with they were in jail and he was okay.

He brought out one of the books and immediately started reading tuning the world out, not having to care about anything but the fantasy he was immersing himself into, letting the words fly through him.

Yes, the past was over and dealt with.

That stage of the game was already completed and over.

* * *

Hello my dear readers, new and old. I have posted another chapter as of promised, I'm sorry if it's a bit late, I have a lot going on with my life and we're getting ready for this HUGE summer vacation across the states we're basically going via RV from Florida to California and back in a giant loop.

it's going to be my first time in an RV, so yahoo (note the sarcasm), But seriously these last few weeks of school are going to be the last pull and you know what they say, when a man walks 100 miles 99 is half. Anyway I'll end it as usual

Please review, hate is deleted but constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms.


	4. Rewrite:The Accident

I do not own anything.

WARNING: There are some strong beliefs coming from Naruto, especially in the first part, if you are not okay with atheists or are heavy religious believers DO NOT READ.

A game, that was all. Of course he was an atheist after all he had thought the prospect of a holy being that protected was a silly belief to him, but if there really was a god that was what he believed he thought people's lives were…games, pieces of putty he could mold on a whim to a variety of different shapes. All to entertain him, when he wanted someone dead, they died if he someone them to feel utter agony and sorrow, he could make them feel utter agony and sorrow. But for him, god wasn't real, there wasn't a divine being controlling his life. Of course even beforehand he hadn't come from a religious family so even then he had thought he controlled his own life. It took his toll on him when he thought that it was perhaps a divine being's judgement for thinking that had killed his family.

Perhaps he couldn't control the game, that it was beyond his reach as a human being, that he was only a piece that they played on the board. Some didn't believe in that, which was fine, he didn't agree with them about their beliefs, what should bring them to believe his.

"8 years old…?" a pause. "He looks older… I mean, his eyes do"

"Well he's been through a-lot, and don't you know the funeral's being held soon…now let's get out of here, don't you know."

"He's cursed."

He ignored them and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he carried on.

And his life wasn't just a game but a story, humans can be so disgusting like that, you see you do attract more flies with honey. His whole life was honey to the fleas people call reporters, newscasters as well. Because who didn't love reading about the oh so poor kid whose mother owned a country famous restaurant, and father of whom was the mayor along with his basketball star brother all die in a horrible accident. If it were anyone else's family, they wouldn't have cared.

But with every big fish.

There were leeches

_Leeches sucking him dry._

There was no doubt in his mind though, what they would write were lies.

_Lies._

Like doctors lies. "It was quick, painless, they didn't suffer much." He whispered under his breath so no-one could hear him. He wasn't apathetic, he really wasn't. Of course he could spot through those kind of lies easily, after his brother it had become second nature. He knew when he saw their grim faces hiding behind the scrubs, they had suffered greatly.

_Because of him. No doubt._

He had answered the reporters though, when they came up, asking him question after question. The answers he gave however, were secret pleads asking, asking, asking desperately for help. They were also pleads for them to notice, it wasn't an accident. It was the game. Someone thought they broke a rule, and they wanted them kicked off permanently. He was only saved by some miracle…well not a miracle.

His older brother.

It was advertised too.

**New Info Revealed: No Good Saved Younger Brother in Uzumaki Incident.** Was plastered on the newspaper that morning, he threw it away. He told them that when the incident happened, but now two weeks later it was on the paper. New information his ass.

Most people thought he was depressed, some loonies though, as there were always some out there thought he was putting up an act. _He planned this. _They say, I mean as they were grade A nut-jobs it was almost to be expected, but seriously. That was passing a line, I mean there was no way he had killed his own parents…but then again, maybe was he the one who broke the rule, maybe that's why they died…

He really hated the fact that to reporters he apparently had a big neon sign hanging over his that flashed some insanely bright colors and probably said something along the lines of

**STORY OPPORTUNITY**

Or maybe

**COME ANNOY ME AND JUST SHOW THE WORLD THE LEECHES YOU REALLY ARE.**

Or maybe

**KID + FAMOUS PARENTS + SOMEONE DIED = BIG HEADLINES**

He didn't laugh at this. It wasn't funny.

Because his life was to them, one story, but to him it was memories upon memories of family and friends. Disney trips, learning, experiencing, He remembered all of the things he had done, the happy moments with family the sad moments all alone and the angry moments with his best friend. He hated that nothing would ever be the same, people would view him with hate or pity.

They both infuriated him, he just wanted to once again be a normal kid, not fawned over, not shunned.

Just to tell you now, there are two types of loonies. Those who believed it was an accident but still thought he had killed them, they didn't necessarily see him with pity or hate, he liked them. But there were the second kind, they honestly thought he was insane, I mean like…The Shining insane, or Laughing Jack insane. They viewed him as a killer, that he was some sort of wacko that went around swinging an axe at midnight, lauging.

Yeah. Yeah. _Johnny's here!_

They thought he had voices in his mind.

But yes he did, those lingers of whispers they would let out when he passed in his full bandaged glory. He would hear them call him a demon child to their friends when they thought he couldn't hear, but he did in fact it's harder that they'd whisper it behind his back. It only made it so much louder.

When they whispered it was louder than any scream, howl, or screech he'd ever heard. It would constantly ring through his ears, the names they called, all the utterly horrible names they would whisper and unwittingly yell at him.

After a while he learned just how they'd died, smoke inhalation. Painfully slow smoke inhalation, they had gotten stuck inside of the RV bathroom and never actually died by fire, while he had known it was a horrible death, he had no idea it was so utterly horrible. They had died from smoke inhalation, slowly choking, not able to get out…

He shook his head but he couldn't stop his wandering eyes and he had already pulled up the sheet, so he pulled it up farther.

Ripped off fingernails, probably trying to get out. Dry blood ran down their arms. Burns spotted their arms and legs, up their torsos and some on their faces. They still had some of their clothes on but even so most of the clothing they wore had been turned to ashes by the fire.

But their eyes, lifeless, devoid of emotion, but then again they were filled with terror and sorrow and something plucked at his heart as he threw the cover back down onto the dead body and he screamed. He didn't even remember at that moment that he was in a hospital and doctors came in, hearing the inhuman screech. He felt his throat grow hoarse and kept hitting the doctors away as he writhed on the floor screaming.

Then something putrid ran out of his mouth it took him a moment before he noticed that there was vomit pooling around his feet and the vile smell that ran up his nose made him throw up again not even caring about the doctors around him as they grabbed him and pulled him away from his family. Their lifeless bodies at least.

The doctors of course couldn't bring themselves to reprimand the boy for sneaking into the hospital and into the room, seeing his tearstained face and seeing the vomit dripping from his mouth they could only sit there and watch as the child was in a state of terror, shock, and despair all at once, eyes wide, mouth hanging open, gagging slightly as he let out a cry and shut his eyes closed so hard they were probably in pain.

They let him go and called the police to inform them why the silent alarm had been pulled. They led him back to his foster home.

He couldn't sleep that night, every time he even closed his eyes he would see his brother desperately clutching onto a picture of them in his hands, probably stuck in by rigor mortis. at the start of the trip. Naruto was smiling like a ray of the sun in the picture sitting on his brother's shoulders and making sure his chubby hands were holding onto his mom and dad's by bending down.

At the base, in his mom's loopy, cursive writing, were the words

**Best Summer Ever**

And it truly had been till the fire.

Spark had been his nickname…but he quickly abandoned it.

Because one spark had started the fire.

Now he had pyrophobia.

And all this because of the game.

**Hey I'm sorry I never continued I've just been having trouble lately. I'm rewriting though because I think I've gotten a bit better at writing and I think I owe it to you so anyway. On another note, I've got more of a grasp on what the concept of the story will be and I will try my best to put a good story out there. And trust me, Naruto will eventually become himself. Also should I rename the story? I was thinking either **_**Sparks **_**or **_**pyrophobia, **_**what do you think?**

_-S.E.C._


	5. Rewrite:The Orphanage

It wasn't a friendly place, it was actually quite the contrary. Despite the abundance of children inside it did not change the gloomy atmosphere surrounding the small orphanage. With its mold crusted and peeling wallpaper that smelled foul, no one who lived there thought it was a pleasurable place, but seeing as they had nowhere else to go, and obligated by law, were forced inside of cramped rooms. It was in a way actually sort of funny considering the type of establishment brought joy to hundreds of sterile or not families across the country.

The poor unsuspecting people who wanted a child from there would only come to see a depressing place holding very few children of the age they were expecting but rows of teenagers that reflected upon the sad and gloomy environment. Instead of trying to make it better they let the place slowly rot away along with themselves, usually turning to gloomy emo's or goths, piercings would line them up with tattoos hidden between. The only person under 10 was 8 years old and still a little older than what most families looked for, but it was an acceptable age. But the child was perhaps the worst when it came to personality, a socially awkward misfit, you could say. He of course looked better because of his lack of tattoos and piercings.

This child was always alone, distancing himself from crowds and groups. He refused to have social contact with anyone and was as introverted as they came, it wasn't surprising considering his surroundings. He was a weak child refusing to eat more than a couple bites and never exercising and it showed seeing as it really took its toll on his nutrition intake and physical state. Usually you would find him studying in the shadows with a large book and shrouded in shadows.

It wasn't as if it were anything completely new before the incident he had never liked crowds anyway, preferring the types of places considered more serene. He had liked people before however, now he despised ever talking. Again it wasn't new it was just that after the accident the hate for people, for a lack of a better phrase, had almost increased tenfold.

He, or if you were to call him by his proper name, Naruto Kitsune Uzumaki Namikaze, adopting both names at birth he always made long introductions because of it, of course that was when he used to talk to people.

It doesn't mean he stopped talking or was a mute, just barely talked saying few words that carried the burdens of the rest of the sentence. He was far too serious for someone his age, with his hardened blue eyes that used to be bright like the sky now hardened and looked more like a dull grey, sickly pale skin which was once a healthy caramel tan, and his hair that once bounced up in all directions shining like a beacon of sun on the darkest of days, lay a limp mess and instead of soft felt more like a scratchy hay.

He had been in the orphanage around a year after his family passed away in the explosion, when he first came here, after the long period of time where he was passed among different lawyers all fighting about where he should go, to his uncle or to the orphanage, the orphanage had won in the end. When he had first come to the establishment, he had been approached by the others with open arms all fussing about how he was so cute. But after a while they learned to stay away from him with his crazy mumbling about _the game._

Why you might ask, why was he always studying? Well the answer was simple, first off he may've been considered a bright kid but after being tossed around courts he had never gotten to actually school too much, forcing him to miss a complete year of school, so as to catch up he was constantly reading. Truth be told he at the time was probably smarter than all the other kids just couldn't use his knowledge.

It was after a while that he had become, cold, hard, filled with an agonizing sadness.

He flipped another page, the mindless text not really registering in his mind as he'd already read through all the large books at least twice. He just really didn't like dealing with the others asking him to go with them outside in the great weather, all of them trying to get out of the gross building. Looking up for a moment he surveyed the room and noticed the scarce, one or two, energetic ones were out at the moment.

It was strange how he the youngest one there was the worst out of all of them, what a crack up right. He dryly laughed in his head. Getting up out of his perch in the corner he didn't care to stretch just started shuffling on the carpet with his bare feet towards the small library which was really just a couple of shelves stuffed messily with books situated in the corner opposite of him, most were decrepit and falling apart.

He shuffled through the shelves hoping that something had come in, but no luck perused and he found all the donated mystery books, kindergarten level non-fiction and a couple of out-of-place at least five-hundred paged heavy psychology and whatnot books.

He wished his life was more like a book, the prospect of having someone come to his family's rescue at the last moment, the fact that perhaps some world famous detective could swoop in at the last moment and tell his family there was a leak in the gas tank, that one of the lights was malfunctioning.

In the end he decided to pull off a murder mystery he had only half read, among the Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew, but as he was pulling the book off he felt someone step on the raggedy carpet next to him shifting the carpet ever so slightly as to make him trip and the book flew out of his hands and it teetered on the edge of the shelf a moment before it fell behind it.

Sighing angrily he looked over to where the person ready to give them a death glare was standing only to see the person was one of the caretakers and immediately looked away as to gather the book from behind the shelf. Looking over his stubby legs barely got him far enough so he decided to climb up onto the shelf. Now sitting on top of the shelf he reached down for the book only to touch a cardboard box instead, he saw a box slightly outlined in the darkness half opened and stuffed behind the bookshelf. He quickly became curious and forgot about the book altogether.

Reaching down he found the box to be surprisingly heavy, but nevertheless he stretched both of his arms down to loop around the box and pull it up. After a big heave he managed to pull it up. He quickly dropped the box on the shelf as to give relief to his stringy arms. He opened the box up and noted what was inside.

It was fairly old paper yellow and frail with age. It had large black print across the front along with black and white pictures; he noticed what it was immediately, newspaper, and old ones at that. They were all from around the late 1900's it was obvious enough because it had dates on each one but he noticed the pictures had stuff that wasn't made till after World War II and the old-fashioned writing noted inbetween 1960's-2000's.

Grabbing one he brought it up to his face and decided to nestle into the crook between the two shelves that stood there. How had he not noticed them before, the newspapers, they were actually interesting talking about things that had actually happened and weren't sugar coated they were actually telling the truth for once, not like newscasters or journalists did nowadays.

He read through article after article particularly liking one done by a younger journalist that had shown up in the later articles, it was done by Jirayia Sannin*, he thought the name suited him** seeing as he talked about everything with gusto and a booming personality that showed even through the paper.

It seemed as if he found something that he could appreciate and actually smile about, finally.

**I Changed the chapter a bit, added more detail and stuff. I also meant to say this last time I wrote this chapter but was too lazy, Jirayia means young thunder, which is why I put that it fit him.**

_-S.E.C._


	6. Rewrite:The School

His feet frantically swung in the air as he, in desperation, slightly grasped the hands holding his shirt collar in a vice grip, trying to make it so he didn't fall. An amused laughter rung out through the air from the one holding him. "Hey boys look at that, he thinks he can get free." A sneer painted itself on the teen's face as he slowly stood up from his kneeled position. "Why don't we give him a lesson on just how this works."

The two groupies behind him laughed as he felt the knuckle press through his cheap shirt and uncomfortably pressed against his small Adam's apple and it increased as the knuckles tightened around his neck more choking him. He could feel his windpipe being pushed in-between two of the knuckles and started wheezing, but nevertheless summoned all the strength to look down away from the ugly faces in-front of him.

Bad idea, as he looked down away from their faces his blue eyes darted to the ground below, it showed him just how high above the mulched ground he was. Seriously why would they even build a playground set so tall? Kids were supposed to play on these things. Why would you make such a terrible safety hazard? He was surprised some parents hadn't complained, but right now he wasn't going to run and complain to the teachers, he was having the advantage of their strange height used against him.

As he was held on the highest platform by bullies, feet with no ground to stand on, straight out in the air.

Feeling the fingers tighten, if possible even more, he was pulled from his rambling thoughts and into reality. He turned to face his torturers fear clearly written all over his face. It was a problem he was never able to take care of, emotions, he could wear a poker face in general but when something happened, his face disobeyed him and showed his real emotions.

His hands shot up to grab the hands once again and this time tried to pull away from them, he had a feeling…that whatever they were going to do would actually be worse than what would happen if he were dropped from the freakishly high playground set. He struggled as much as he could trying to stretch down and get a foothold, or something, just trying to get away from them.

Now lady luck or lady faith had never been on his side, don't even get him started on lady destiny, but he tried to wish for something to happen, something to get away from the people holding him. But no luck, it seemed they had already played all their cards forcing him to be bullied by the obviously larger, older and crueler kids that held him in his current situation.

It was true that no matter what happened he never fit in, not after his parents died. When he went to the school for the first time he immediately labeled weird with his dark clothes, gloomy appearance and strange whisker marks. People didn't even give him a chance and whispers erupted through the room.

"_Introduce yourself please."_

"_I'm Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze…"_

He remembered that when he introduced himself the teacher's face turned into a frown.

"_Like Kuruma Uzumaki Namikaze?"_

He had nodded naively and was forced to sit right at the front of the room.

It wasn't as if the kids knew what happened, it wasn't as if he knew them, or necessarily cared an extra amount about all the individual thoughts they had on him.

But it still hurt.

_It hurt so much._

_That he wasn't normal, and that EVERYBODY thought that._

He tried his hardest to fit in, when he first came he tried to approach a few of his classmates at lunch, only for them to completely move seats and ignore him. They hadn't even payed any mind to him and told him to move, just left him alone. After quickly learning that he wouldn't be accepted normally he had tried his hardest to show him he was smart by answering all the questions, raising his hand to be picked even if he wasn't sure and getting perfect grades, he had studied even more than he had been prior to that.

But it only brought him more hate as the other students thought of him as a smart aleck that tried too hard.

It never occurred to the other students who the person was on the inside, they had already separated into their cliques, he was to them an outsider who didn't belong. Some might think he had been able to find a group with the other kids who were considered nerds and such, but it was no luck as even they didn't want to be seen with the new weird kid.

He was lower than the low, the bottom of the food chain, meaning he was free game for everyone no one would even try to stop the bullies, even the teachers seemed to turn a blind eye to the actions the kids took and singled him out just the same. It was as if they were purposely trying to send a bad message to their kids.

**Yes kids. Everyone is born a certain way and they can't do anything to change that, they will forever be the same.**

But that's not true.

He was born happy…

but now he's not.

He was born with a family and he always had friends with him, but not now now only a few people like Jiji or old man Ichiraku cared

He felt the hands roughly shake him, jerkily he felt his head flop on his neck and he gathered a headache that sharply bit through his thoughts once again. No, none of it was true, people can change who they are, but what could he do? He was just a weak kid who was too busy drowning in sorrow to really try to make a difference.

What could he do?

Nothing.

And that was the ugly truth, that he would forever do nothing, have no significant use, that he was nothing. Maybe a punching bag, but that was all.

He felt his small frame get yanked forward through the air, heart beating fast.

Punch.

The meaty fist hit his face with a loud 'smack' and his head flipped to the side.

Punch.

Punch.

Punch.

Punch after punch hit his face and he could already feel the skin of his cheeks swelling over the big purple blemishes that he was going to definitely have in two days time.

He waited for the next punch, but it never came and he saw the other bully stop him. "Hidan if we do any more we won't be able to pass it off as an accident." He looked away as if being caught stealing from the cookie jar. "Fine, fine Kakuzu." Before his gaze turned back to Naruto a nasty smirk on his lips and a taunting look in his eyes, before he…

Released him, letting him fall through the air.

Letting him drop to the ground

Screaming with his newfound breath he whistled through the, air seconds turning into hours in his mind.

He tried shooting his hands out to catch the ledge of one of the platforms but as his fingers touched the metal edge he came to a halt.

_Why_

_Why am I always the awkward one in the corner?_

_Why does destiny…?_

_No why does life hate me so much? _

_Why am I… why am I always picked to be fate's plaything?_

He croaked it out hoarsely just before he was going to hit the ground. "Why" and the word repeated like mantra throughout his head. He readied himself to hit the ground,

But it never came.

And he felt himself fall into warm comforting arms, which curled around him and pulled him into a strong chest he noticed that it smelled like cinnamon and his eyes widened in recognition looking up to meet dark spice colored eyes and choked out his throat still sore from where they had choked him and from the screaming he had down when he fell. Iruka sensei was one of the people who cared for him, despite not liking his brother from when he had schooled him, and what his _'choices' _had been at one point" You four get back here right now." He set Naruto down to go and chasee after them as they started to run knowing that they'd be caught if they didn't, leaving him all alone.

Or what seemed to be all alone, except for the small lavender eyed girl hiding behind the slide who came out once she saw that no one was there to hurt her anymore, or would get caught in an unwanted confrontation.

"Ano, a-are y-y-yo-you o-ok-o-okay?" He had forgotten about her, the reason why those particular bullies had started to beat him up,

it was because he had tried to stand up for her.

He had seen them try to hurt the young girl and despite his usual morals of not helping anyone and staying out he just couldn't help but try to intervene grabbing the older kid's legs and trying to pull them away.

Afterwards he had tried to run only to be caught and well…you know what happened.

Short blue hair, two long bangs framing her face, and short, with the biggest eyes he had ever seen.

But they sort of fit her with their pupiless weirdness, a pale lavender hue was applied to the otherwise white eyes. He would've thought she was blind, if it wasn't obvious that with her reaction that she could see his injuries, and who was blind and could hide so well seeing as he never saw go inside but rather she went into the jungle gym and practically disappeared.

Or she was blind, had some weird sixth sense that told her when people were injured, as well as such little presence. Well she did have a little presence but he severely doubted that she had a sixth sense.

"I'm fine so just leave." He didn't care if he was rude, even if she tried to help him seeming so innocent and then found out who he was he'd have hell to pay. She seemed to be surprised at the response, and he could tell what she was thinking. _With injuries like those? He should get a doctor, get to a hospital…_

"b-but you're r-r-really h-hu-hurt." He turned his head away from her knowing that if she had tried to help him anyway even if she didn't notice who he was the whole time she'd be labeled as a wierdo just for talking to him.

He was the lowest of the low after all and in their childish, immature minds they thought that only people similar to each other hung out together.

"Just leave." He spoke firm.

"B-but-" he turned over to her still laying on the ground. "Just leave, you don't want to help me, and you shouldn't so just _leave."_ He knew that he was being rude but she was really starting to peeve him, he was trying to help her, she could find friends and he would spend his days at the library like he always did.

Away from people.

And nothing would change.

It would stay the same, always the same, she'd forget about him and go on with her life, just like he wanted her to.

No such luck

"Hey what are you doing, let go of me!" She had come up to him and started dragging him away, honestly she had no idea what she was doing or where her sudden confidence came from, but she knew that she couldn't just leave him there

Who knew that was when a beautiful friendship would start?

**Well I did, but that's beside the point. I decided to split this into two parts because I want to keep the chapters under 2000 words but I will post the continuation of this back up shortly, I didn't change much but I did make some significant enough changes, hope you like. (tell me if you think I should just put these in as updates to the other chapters or keep them as rewrites)**

**Please review.**


	7. Rewrite:The Memories

He sat up quickly, and was surprised to find himself still in the white bed at the small school nurse's office he looked around bored, a frown etched into his face. When did he even fall asleep, but besides that why bring him here?

_Why didn't she just leave me?_

He thought he might ask her the question but apparently she wasn't there according to the nurse who came over.

"So what happened? Your friend wouldn't tell me she seemed really surprised when I came over and just ran away. Was it bullies again?" he looked away from the nurse, Natsuhi*, knowing that she already knew the answer. She sighed and worriedly looked over at him "Naruto, you shouldn't just let them beat you up you need to run away, you need to tell us who it is, you might think that it's not true but we do care about you." She walked back over to her desk and grabbed a clipboard as well as a pen, before coming back and giving it to him.

**Report Abuse; Victim**

**Name:….**

He threw it down with a scoff before turning to her angrily.

"You only say that because that's what you've been paid to say, you don't really care about anyone but yourselves, that's what everyone's like they don't care about others, they think that they're the most important thing in the world! People act like they know everything but they don't know that when they grow up whoever was the coolest in fifth grade doesn't matter! Reality will bite them in the ass." She gasped at his outburst. "Watch yourself young man do not curse and they are all trying their hardest to live their lives don't judge people."

"Well then, why would you give me the clipboard, you know I won't fill it out. You just want to stop getting complaints about unfiled paperwork, so you're trying to coax me into it. And plus people do need to wake up, open their eyes for once, life isn't double-dipped-with-a-cherry-on-top." As he spoke his arms flew around him in a jerky manner.

"That's what they need to know." He got up out of the bed in a flurry not caring about what happened and ran, just ran as fast as his little legs could carry him.

He ran out of the door, out of the school, away, _away._ He didn't stop, even when he could feel his chest constricting around his lungs and his sore throat burning with pain. Even when he ran a mile and his legs grew numb as his eyes waters and he could feel fatigue pushing through his veins, adrenaline wearing down faster and faster. He didn't stop when the sun went down and the moon rose to rest above his head.

He just didn't care, as he ran into the forest pushing through the brambles, shrubs, trees and vines, as they cut into his skin in several places.

He just didn't care.

Didn't care.

He didn't care at all.

He just didn't.

It was only when he reached the edge of town he fell to his knees chest constricting and lungs desperately grasping for air, mouth gaping open and closed like a fish, it was only then that he started to think, about why, about all the people around him, about everything.

About his past.

He always came here when he needed to think he would sit next to the old sign and curl up next to it he would always keep his area nice and neat stuff the things there in the nearby underbrush, with boxes expertly hidden behind the trees holding books upon books, a radio, and everything he would ever need. There was a backpack hidden under a water proof blanket that hid in the

He loved the area, he did like living out in the small town settled into the country, separated from the world and situated all by itself in the middle of nowhere with a small population. He did like living there, he really did, the fact that he could come out here and no cars would pass by, the fact that on a normal basis it was quiet and tranquil, everyone knew everyone.

But he'd do anything to get away from the painful memories.

He'd do anything to get away from the life he was living, the future that he knew would only be horrible. But he was really stuck here; he knew didn't want to lose the memories deep down, and knew that they were the only things that really kept him attached to this world, keeping him from committing suicide.

Maybe if he just got hit by a car and got amnesia then everything would be okay.

But he knew it wouldn't. There were several times like these were he was indecisive, couldn't make a decision, stuck perpetually

"_Naruto?! Naruto?! Oi, Naruto where are you?!"_

"_Naruto, look I'm sorry." He pushed himself against the floorboards and scooted farther underneath the bed, pressing himself against the wall. Dry tear-marks started to once again grow wet as tears ran down his cheeks, he thought he could trust him, as family, as brothers, as friends._

"_Naruto look, it won't happen again, you know that I would never try to hurt you on purpose, I made the wrong choice having them as my friends. I never thought that they would try anything like that, they promised me that it wouldn't affect anyone." He heard thumping footsteps slam down the hallways and they continued past his parent's room he was in to his own._

_He heard more shuffling this time in his own room before the door to the room he was in was slammed open to reveal his brother panting and soaked to the bone with rain running down his muscled form._

"_Look I'm sorry!"_

_He knew that he was telling the truth, but he didn't know if he should go out or not, he was very scared and didn't know what really happened, just that it was really scary and he didn't want it to happen again, uncle and brother alike, neither, he wanted neither to come near him _

_Never again…but as the skirt of the bed was flipped up he felt his heart stop.._

If only at that time he knew that his brother had been black-mailed; after all who would've thought that the mayor's son was forced into becoming a drug dealer? By his own uncle, even. Maybe if he had told someone that he found out his brother hadn't been meeting his friends to his parents.

It was of course a plot orchestrated by his uncle just to make his father divorce my mother, a conspiracy by the mayor…maybe if he had told someone what he knew…

Then maybe, maybe…

But that was over and dealt with his uncle was in jail, he never had to speak up.

He brought out one of the books and immediately started reading tuning the world out, not having to care about anything but the fantasy he was immersing himself into, letting the words fly through him.

Yes, the past was over and dealt with.

That stage of the game was already completed and over.

He contemplated how he was going to get back to the orphanage without the caretaker noticing. But decided to leave that for later as he read the story over

**Made me cry will writing this, this school year I've found a new friend with an almost uncanny resemblance to this story who's awesome and amazing and all the great adjectives… on another note, I finally **_**sort-of-rewriting **_**these chapters so another chapter will come up soon, a week at most but I have no real promises.**

_-S.E.C._


	8. The Fire

He shivered as he pulled his covers closer around him, the girl across from him almost giggled at his attempts as she knew it was futile, but being possibly one of the nicest people alive, instead felt sorry for him.

"D-d-do you um…want t-to use my blanket."

While her stutter had increasingly gotten better over the course of the past year, she was still a very shy child. She unlike the boy had naturally pale skin and a short cut of hair that framed her round face. The boy seemed to be a sun-child that hadn't gotten any sun in year, however his skin wasn't as sickly pale as it had been the year before, his hair was still droopy and scratchy but it seemed to have gained some color.

"You shouldn't give me your blanket, you're the girl…" He trailed off at the end.

"But I umm… have 2-2 blank-kets and they're b-b-both thicker t-than yours…." She tried to persuade the boy and pushed the blanket out to him. "Because you're frail, you need it." The girl was frail as the boy said, but as she looked at his own thin form she knew even she was better off.

"Naruto, I-I'm-I am nat-turally s-small, you're actually th-thin." He snorted. "Hinata, I'm used to being like this, you're the guest I didn't want you to come here anyway, and it'd be cruel to make you the cold one." She threw the blanket onto him and turned over quickly as to avoid the stare she knew she'd get from the boy.

"I didn't want you to come…the place is disgusting." The boy muttered to himself and she pressed her head to the pillow underneath her head and pushed her back up against the pillow separating them. While some might think it's strange for a boy and girl to sleep together, they were more like brother and sister than anything.

She heard the boy seemingly resign himself to sleep as he pulled the blanket over himself and shuffle around in the bed.

He honestly didn't understand why she had given him the blanket, he wasn't lying when he said he was used to it. He muttered to himself slightly as he finally laid comfortable on his side and nudged his head into his pillow.

It then rang out suddenly a creaking floorboard that broke his sleep, he heard soft snores of Hinata lying next to him, and knew it wasn't her but then suddenly a violent red invaded his vision and smoke sifted into his nose. The creaks grew louder and there were more, probably several people running against the old floorboards.

He heard the snores stop even over the alarm and a shriek pierce the air, but it faded out too as he felt his heart slam against his ribcage the pounding ringing in his hears, it melded into the door that slammed open the screams, the smell of smoke poured into his nose.

It went in unison as he noticed it was his own self that was screaming, the girl next to him frantically trying to pull him away, he didn't move his heart pounding louder, faster. And the flames licked his vision, smoke filled his lungs and his sore throat from screaming burned more.

The red flames danced across his eyes and he saw the orange and yellow that twirled between, the blankets that kept him warm through the cold burned against his skin keeping him trapped in a cocoon of heat, the fire licked away at the wood as one of the volunteer caretakers lifted Hinata away and made a reach for him.

He didn't fight as the stranger arms pulled him up and away, the fire came closer and closer filling him with dread as it danced along the falling wreckage, waltzing faster and faster towards his dangling feet, he couldn't look away and then he felt the muscles around him encase him against the chest of the man and the shattering glass filled his vision.

They were only on the second story, so it made sense as to why the volunteer would jump out but. The arms constricted around him and he felt the teenager's knees curl up and he twisted to the side. Flames surrounded them, heat everywhere, the shrieking alarm was drowned out by screams.

They hit the ground with an oomph.

All he saw was black and he pulled Hinata closer.

The next thing he saw was white, white that filled his vision, his ears rung with a high pitched squeal that didn't seem to stop, when it cleared up he heard a steady beeping that cut through and he felt his heart that pounded vigorously. He still smelled the wisps of smoke, but he smelled anesthetic that mixed in a not so pleasant way.

But it wasn't because of that that he threw up.

He knew he was in a hospital but the only thing he wished for was for Hinata.

_Is she ok?_

_Did she get hurt?_

_Did she survive?_

_Is she….even alive?_

As the questions flooded into his head he felt a headache that came upon him and he groaned in pain as he held his head but tried to stutter out of bed but as he was halfway out a nurse came rushing into the room. He croaked out in protest as she pushed him back onto the bed, but he was pushed up anyway.

"Where's Hinata?" The nurse turned to him as he broke out in a fit of coughs that racked his body and suddenly he felt someone else next to him, smaller than the nurse by a-lot a small gentle hand that pushed against his forehead. "I'm right here Naruto, it's alright, no-one died, we're all ok, but your lungs are hurt so you should rest, ok."

"Thanks Hinata, thank you so much, I thought I lost you-" He was cut off as he broke out in more coughs. "You should get a drink of water." And then he noticed something he hadn't before, Hinata was confident in what she was saying, there wasn't a stutter in what she said.

And, this time when he woke up, he wasn't alone.

**I thought I would go for a more serene description for the fire scene, I felt really sad while writing this, but the ending came out really nicely. I thought I could use the stutter in her voice as a sort of catalyst to show that he was getting over the mental block of him always being alone, if that makes any sense. Please review, it makes me really happy to hear your thoughts, and please tell me if I have any typos that I can go in and fix.**

**-**_S.E.C._


End file.
